Securing virtual identities and entry points has become a critical priority as cyber threats grow more sophisticated. A Single Sign-On (SSO) system offers ease and allows multi-functionality with a single set of identity verification, but they are enticing targets for cyber attackers. Organizations need Zero Trust Architecture to alleviate this risk. Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA) is a protection framework that is designed on the principle of never trust and always verify.

In the arms race to secure environments, codifying permissions often becomes an afterthought in the wake of setting up a new access tool. I often speak with organizations that either don’t know who has permission to what, or have no permission definitions at all. I once onboarded an enterprise level digital communications company that was losing productivity trying to keep track of who had access to their Kubernetes resources.

In the past, organizations could control how, when, and where their employees accessed sensitive data. Now, in the age of hybrid and remote work, employees can connect to company networks from any location over nearly any device. Safeguarding data while granting employees the access they need is a delicate balance. That’s where zero trust remote access solutions come into play.

Cybercrime and ransomware are a way of life, with almost-daily news about new data breaches. 2024 set a record for the largest ransomware payment ever made. According to Forbes, the ransomware group the “Dark Angels” extracted $75 million, the single largest known ransomware payment ever made. And it is only getting worse. This is why we’re adding to our managed security services and trying to make it easier for our customers to combat online threats.

Today, we’re excited to expand our recent Unified Risk Posture announcement with more information on our latest integrations with CrowdStrike. We previously shared that our CrowdStrike Falcon Next-Gen SIEM integration allows for deeper analysis and further investigations by unifying first- and third-party data, native threat intelligence, AI, and workflow automation to allow your security teams to focus on work that matters.

Excessive cybersecurity alerts are not a trivial matter; they pose a real challenge that directly impacts business security strategies. Too many notifications generate stress on IT teams, which are increasingly being reduced in size while facing a heavier burden of tasks. This situation can lead to urgent alerts being overlooked, putting system security at risk.

Zero Trust is no longer a nice-to-have - it’s a must-have. According to Cisco, over 86% of enterprise organizations have started rolling out a Zero Trust framework to protect their business-critical information and ensure regulatory compliance, but only 2% have successfully implemented a mature ZT architecture. Zero Trust is no longer a nice-to-have - it’s a must-have.

“Never trust; always verify.” That’s the philosophy that drives the Zero Trust model, and it represents a major shift from the previous motto: “Trust but verify.” As threat actors have become more sophisticated, organizations have shifted their security frameworks away from a network-centric model and toward an identity-first model. Zero Trust assumes that every attempt to access an organization’s digital assets is from a threat actor until it can be proven otherwise.

As we reflect on the first half of 2024, it seems to me that two defining features so far have been a litany of significant cyber attacks on companies across every sector, and widespread adoption of AI tools as businesses seek to innovate. At the heart of this storm of cyber threats is the CISO, looking to guide their business safely through potential dangers. Last month, Netskope undertook research examining how CISOs view their role and asking how they’re approaching these challenges.